” Le Negotiator, king of negotiation, except at home. » So TF1 is selling its new series, of which it is broadcasting the first two episodes this Monday, March 25. And in one punchline, everything is said (or almost) about this fiction, which attempts to invite the thriller to the family comedy table, here chaired by François-Xavier Demaison, for an improbable variation of a genre today omnipresent on the small screen: the police comedy.
After HPI and her consultant with an inordinate IQ (and cleavage), Panda and his non-violent green cop/bartender, or even Mercato and its blundering Parisian investigator transferred to Marseille, the front page therefore presents THENegotiator, a police officer expert in hostage-taking, but a father hen overwhelmed by his reconstituted tribe. A new weapon of distraction that she hopes will be massive. Not sure, however, that his wish will be granted. Because by wanting to aim too broadly, the series is not aiming very well.
The Negotiator between family comedy and thriller
Imagined and scripted by Yaël Berdugo (Long live the Colo, Parents instructions for use or the movie, Beautiful beautiful beautiful), the fiction therefore follows the (my) personal and professional adventures of Antoine Clerc (François-Xavier Demaison), ex-super cop of the research and intervention brigade (BRI), who hung up his negotiator badge after the fiasco of one of his former operations. Since then, he has been vegetating nicely in a quiet administration (the prepound!) and dealing as best he can with the hectic management of his home.
Antoine should certainly cope with his considerably intrusive father (Michel Jonasz), his three daughters from three completely different marriages to whom he is aware of nothing to refuse, his ex-wives who’ve change into associates who’re by no means stingy with unsolicited recommendation, and a banker who’s considerably little panicked by the quantity of her overdraft. Moreover, it was whereas going to his summons that he was taken hostage amongst different shoppers and staff of the company. He then finds his previous reflexes to purpose with the robber with the assist of the Raid, who has arrived on website. Enough to impress Hélène Banier (Jeanne Bournaud), the rigid chief of the elite unit, who gives him to affix its ranks.
A poorly balanced combination
An endearing hero, humor, an investigation and even a touch of romance… On paper, this Negotiator a priori declines the recipe for profitable sequence, which it additionally adorns with social themes. It is certainly a query of over-indebtedness, the risks of social networks, the despair of the agricultural world… However, the sauce is troublesome to take maintain. Because it’s weighed down by too many substances. The sequence thus struggles to steadiness its curious combine, sacrificing the standard of the detective intrigues (and the suspense) to the somewhat profitable fantasy of the lifetime of the tribe.
It can be broadcast on Mondays, a slot historically reserved for comedies, reminiscent of Camping Paradise And Joséphine, guardian angel, somewhat than Thursday, detective day. Result: if we frequently smile on the bickering of this humorous household, we’re utterly bored by the hostage-taking sequences, for which we tremble very reasonably. A disgrace! What stays is a convincing solid, led by François-Xavier Demaison, as sympathetic as his character. We thus admire seeing Michel Jonasz once more, who fortunately histrionics, and Élodie Frenck (The Little Murders of Agatha Christie), who as soon as once more proves his comedian expertise right here.
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